Resurrected in Flames
by V. Shalyr
Summary: Two years after the fall of the Black Organization, Kaito and Shinichi thought their troubles were finally over when an explosion in another universe sends them into a world where Shinichi had just been executed and Kaito had been killed more than eight years before. KaiShin
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed (though the other elements of this story are mine:)

**Summary**: Two years after the fall of the Black Organization, Kaito and Shinichi thought their troubles were finally over when an explosion in another universe sends them into a world where Shinichi had just been executed and Kaito had been killed more than eight years before.

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Heiji x Kazuha

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Resurrected in Flames**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

Prologue

"Did you hear? They said there might be another attempt on one of the East City factories."

"Hold on, but we're working in East City."

"Yes, I know. They've told all of us to be careful. You weren't listening?"

"My sister's in jail right now. I don't have the energy to worry about anything else."

"In jail? What did she do?"

"Nothing! But the Guards came and took her away. They said she was a Counter Guard supporter."

"That rebel group? Was she?"

"Of course she wasn't! No one in my family's that crazy."

"Are they the ones targeting the factories?"

"Some of them, but I think this time, it's the Phantom KID."

"No way! The Moonlight Magician? I've heard some real crazy stories about that guy."

"That's because he is crazy. You've got to be insane to go up against the Four alone. They say even the rebels are after him."

"But why? How did the old saying go? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"Don't know, but my guess is…"

"Yeah?"

"My guess is it's because he's like _Them_. He can use Pandora."

A gloved hand reached up to tug on the brim of a hat, bringing it lower over its owner's face and the grim smile that briefly traced his lips. Kuroba Toichi slipped through the workers with ease, just another "employee". The extra guards posted all around the building had proved little challenge, but then he'd been doing this for so many years now that nothing really surprised him anymore. Or maybe everything he'd experienced had left him too numb to be surprised—if that was possible.

Careful to survey everything around him without looking too hard at anything in particular, Toichi made his way past the various brewing pots and glass tanks, all filled with a clear liquid that seemed to gleam with traces of red in the right light. The liquid being created in all of these factories scattered throughout the empire had many names—magic water, liquid night, the death potion, and others. But the name used by the empire itself was simply Pandora, the mysterious substance that granted great power to those who could use it and madness and death to those who could not.

Toichi could feel the magic calling out to him, resonating with the traces of it that no doubt remained in his own blood from the last time he'd taken it. But for now, he ignored it and focused on finding somewhere to hide until the time was right. He wouldn't make his move while there were so many civilians around to get in the way of fire. For now, he could familiarize himself with the layout of the place, feel out the liquid reservoirs and steal some to replenish his own diminishing supplies.

Because when night came… When night came and the regular workers had gone home, he was going to make sure this factory went up in flames.

.

Chapter 1

_Harsh sunlight beat down upon the city square, crowded with silent spectators—silent because no one dared to speak. They weren't there to watch a show after all. They were there because you could be next if you didn't force yourself to attend. If you weren't careful, you could be the one being marched onto that stage under the cold eyes of the men and women on the balcony of the city hall which overlooked the plaza. _

_They were there for the execution. _

_A few watchers stirred uneasily—unhappily—as the young man was led up the steps. But the prisoner himself seemed unafraid. Blue eyes glared defiantly up at the balcony, unwavering, their owner's head held high. He wouldn't allow them the satisfaction of fear. _

"_You, Kudou Shinichi, have been convicted of the crimes of sabotage and treason against the Four. Do you have any last words?" _

_The young man smiled grimly. "I have no regrets." _

_That wasn't entirely true. He regretted not having been able to do more. He regretted that for him, the fight would end here. If only they had more help. If only things had gone a little differently. _

"_It doesn't matter if you kill me. Eventually, you'll all have to pay for the pain you've caused." _

_The crowds shifted uneasily but the executioner stilled them with a glare. "Very well then. If that's all, let your death be a reminder to everyone of what happens to all those who oppose their lordships…" _

Shinichi woke with a start, gasping. He couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs and for a moment he thought his body was acting up again. Ever since Haibara had found a cure and returned him to his proper age, he'd been plagued by occasional weak spells—though he'd thought they'd been getting better.

Then he realized that his partner had his arms wrapped so tightly around him that he was literally crushing the air from his lungs. The detective had gotten used to waking up in all sorts of peculiar ways after Kuroba Kaito had moved in with him a year ago, but being half strangled was definitely an unpleasant first.

He squirmed and grasped at the magician's sleeve, noting with concern that the other was shaking. "Kaito?"

The magician's only response was an anguished noise in his throat that made Shinichi tense in alarm. They'd both had their fair share of nightmares over the years—how could they not with the kind of lives they'd led up to that point—but recently… Recently, something had been different.

"Kaito!"

Kaito jerked awake to find Shinichi tugging desperately on his arm. Realizing the problem at the strained quality of his breathing, he loosened his grip and ran his hands apologetically over his partner's bruised ribs.

Shinichi coughed and drew in a much needed lungful of air, grimacing. "You know, whatever you've been dreaming about, I really think it's about time you told me. That was just a bit ridiculous. I thought we agreed not to keep secrets from one another."

He half expected Kaito to reply with a joke or a teasing remark like he had every other time he'd asked him lately—which, frankly, was starting to irritate him—but instead, the magician simply remained quiet. If anything, Shinichi found his solemn silence even more unnerving. Kaito's silence was always more alarming than his chatter and usually meant something exceptionally serious.

"Kaito?" he asked again, more cautious.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you," Kaito sighed finally, tucking Shinichi's head under his chin as if taking comfort from their closeness. "It's that I don't want to think about it myself."

Shinichi frowned, his mind running through all the possibilities. There weren't a lot of things capable of unsettling Kaito. His "night job" wasn't a career you could afford to keep if you got unsettled easily.

That narrowed down the possible topics of the dream a lot and, taking into consideration how he'd woken up, Shinichi was pretty sure he could deduce what he'd been having nightmares about. Shinichi had been the one having those nightmares months earlier—just one of the reasons Kaito had moved in a little earlier than they'd planned—dreams that had him waking in a cold sweat and running for his phone, terrified that Kaito wouldn't answer. With the possible exception of Haibara Ai, most of their acquaintances thought they'd both grown way too paranoid over the years. But paranoia had saved their lives more times than they could count—paranoia and each other.

"It was just a dream."

"But they shot you," Kaito muttered, confirming Shinichi's suspicions, his voice tight with anger and frustration, "and I couldn't _do_ anything. I couldn't even try because I wasn't _there_."

One of his greatest fears, that something would happen to the detective and he wouldn't _be_ there. Shinichi understood that all too well.

"They?"

"These people in strange clothes, kind of old fashioned with a lot of red in it and a lot of black. They were accusing you of treason or something."

The detective's eyebrows shot up. "Treason? Sounds a bit farfetched, even for us. Unless there was something seriously wrong with the world."

Kaito grimaced but managed a laugh at that nonetheless. "Yeah, I suppose."

Yet a sense of unease lingered with him as they reluctantly got out of bed and prepared to start the day. For a moment in that dream, it had almost felt as though that Shinichi had seen him—locked eyes with him just before the gunshot and seemed confused or perhaps pleading. But for what?

.

Since the fall of the Black Organization, Kaitou KID had almost stopped carrying out heists altogether, appearing only once or twice every couple months to put on a show for his fans, steal a jewel, check for Pandora, and return it. With no more killers after the legend, there was no longer any urgency to that self appointed mission. Shinichi had tried a few times to convince him to drop the search altogether, but he just couldn't bring himself to do that—not yet. It wasn't just that he enjoyed being KID, enjoyed keeping the image of the legendary jewel thief alive, though of course there was that too. But it was also one of the only ways he could hold on to his father's memory, to carry on with the legacy he'd left him and continue the search for which Kuroba Toichi had given his life more than a decade ago.

Anyways, his many adoring fans—and, he was pretty sure Inspector Nakamouri and his Taskforce as well—would miss him if KID just vanished yet again.

Besides, it was a good excuse for keeping all his KID gear up to date and close at hand. He felt more secure, knowing that he had his equipment ready should anything untoward really take place. It was probably the same reason Shinichi still kept his tracking devices and those fake glasses used to hone in on them, not to mention the tranquilizer watch which Kaito had upgraded to carry more darts. Those gadgets along with his inflatable soccer balls made up for his refusal to carry a gun. After all, one should never carry a weapon one was not prepared to use and killing a person on accident didn't make that person any less dead or the action any less terrible. Tranquilizers and concussions were more than sufficient for self defense.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit distant today."

Kaito paused at the door of his office and flashed his coworker a bright smile. "It's nothing, just didn't get as much sleep as I'd like."

She nodded; his smile never failed to put people at ease. "I know what you mean. With the deadline for the release of our new game coming up, seems like everyone's losing sleep."

Offering an amused reply on autopilot, Kaito bad her a good morning and finally made it through his office door, his gaze flicking to the window through which he could make out the police station a little ways down the street, the same police station he'd just walked Shinichi to a few minutes before. It was one reason he'd ended up working as a game designer for this particular company. He did some performances as a magician part time, but the last few years of being intensely hunted by the Organization had worn out most of his desire for the spotlight while he wasn't in disguise. Sometimes, he wondered if his father would have been disappointed, though mostly he tried not to dwell on that anymore.

It wasn't until late afternoon as Kaito was just getting out of a meeting when the first signs of trouble struck for the day. He almost always had a listening device tuned in to the police communications channels so he could keep an ear on what his partner might be involved in at any given time. And at about half past five, there was a shooting on the front steps of the downtown historical museum.

.

Shinichi had been having a more or less peaceful morning—well, as peaceful as mornings ever got for a homicide detective. Then again, dead people usually didn't have much of a choice other than to be still and quiet.

Then he'd been called over to an investigation at the museum of ancient history and the day was suddenly no longer quite as normal as he'd thought.

It had nothing to do with a shooting and everything to do with the lack thereof.

Try as they might, none of them could find any evidence that there had been a shooting, or even a gun. There were no spent shells, no nicks, and no injuries. And yet every single person in the vicinity—almost twenty or so eye witnesses—swore that they had seen men firing across the museum plaza. Pacing along the front steps, Shinichi frowned as he studied the smooth stone. He froze suddenly, glimpsing a splash of red. Blood? But even as he watched, the patch of crimson seemed to fade in and out of focus. One moment, the red was as bright and clear as if those shots had really been fired and found a target and the next they were watery and almost clear like a figment of his imagination. What was going on? Was he losing his mind? Was it even really blood or something else?

"Shin-chan, what are you still doing here? I thought they said it was a mistake."

His brow still furrowed in confusion, the detective turned to find Kaito jogging across the plaza towards him. "Kaito, can you…see that?"

His concern turning to bewilderment, the magician slowed to a stop beside him. "See what?"

Shinichi started to point towards the crimson patch upon the stone only to freeze in trepidation—because whatever it was, hallucination or not, it was spreading like a pool of water fed by a leaking pipe. And was that the stench of smoke? Seized by a sudden upwelling of foreboding, Shinichi grabbed Kaito's arm and stumbled backwards away from the expanding stain of deepening crimson. But he wasn't quite fast enough. And as the crimson colors swept beneath Kaito's feet, everything around them—the plaza and its colors and sounds and smells—_twisted_.

.

Kaito had no idea what had just happened. All he remembered was Shinichi's face going pale as he tried to pull them both away from something only he could see then a strange jolt of energy shot through him, leaving an electric tingle in its wake snaking upward from the soles of his feet. His vision filled with light so bright he had to shut his eyes or be blinded.

The acrid, cloying stench of burning things assaulted his nostrils along with a sudden, overwhelming wave of heat. Indigo eyes snapped open and Kaito gaped at the flames that now surrounded them. The blazing, blackened skeletons of equipment and glass scattered across the floor looked like the remains of some kind of factory—one on the verge of completely collapsing.

_What the hell? _

Before his shocked and befuddled brain could comprehend what exactly was going on, the splintering of one of the ceiling support beams spurred his body into action. Yanking a violently coughing Shinichi out of the way of a spray of sparks and falling timbers, Kaito made a beeline for the nearest window not already blocked by fire or debris. They didn't have the time to look for a door, and even if they found one there was no guarantee it would be usable. Something splashed beneath his feet as he moved but he hardly paid attention to it other than to wonder why the stuff seemed so cold despite the roaring inferno around them. Eyes watering from the smoke, he hauled Shinichi up with him onto what might have been a work table and all but shoved him through the broken window before vaulting through himself. Behind them, he could hear another mini explosion deep within the factory and a clang as something else collapsed in twisted metal and ash.

Was he dreaming again?

That might have been the obvious solution to how he could have suddenly been transported from a peaceful museum plaza to a factory on the verge of extinction, yet the roar of the flames and the scrape of broken glass across his skin were all too real. His heart clenched as flashes of his recent nightmares came back to him, too stark in their detail and all too similar to the kinds of buildings he could make out through the night by the light of the burning factory.

"Where—what happened?" Shinichi rasped, finally getting his coughs under control with the aid of the cool night air.

"I don't know," Kaito muttered in answer to both questions, dragging the detective swiftly away from the flames and into the shadow of what might have been a storage warehouse.

"It's odd but I don't see any buildings I recognize. But they also seem kind of familiar somehow. I get the feeling we're a long, long way from home."

Kaito trailed off in alarm when Shinichi began to shiver violently. He let go of his hand so he could slip an arm around his waist to better support him.

"Are you okay?"

"Feel kind of ill," the detective admitted, grimacing as the world threatened to start spinning again, this time for more explainable reasons.

Pressing the back of his hand to his partner's forehead, Kaito cursed. Shinichi was burning up and his gaze was going unfocused.

"Hold on, Shin-chan. We need to find somewhere safe before we can do anything about your fever."

When had Shinichi caught a cold anyway? He'd been perfectly fine before…well, _Before_.

Kaito took a step towards the street but paused, biting his lip. His thoughts kept returning to his dream and the uncanny similarities, in which case it was probably best if no one recognized Shinichi. Kaito mentally ran through an inventory of his supplies and settled on a pair of thin-rimmed, oval glasses and some hair gel. Just a simple disguise would do for now while they assessed the situation.

Murmuring an encouragement under his breath, Kaito guided them onto what appeared to be a main street, searching for some kind of shelter, perhaps a hotel or an apartment building with empty rooms. He wasn't above taking advantage of that when their lives could very well be in danger.

The problem, of course, being that there didn't seem to be any form of either. All the windows, Kaito noted with silent incredulity, had _bars_ on them. What kind of place was this?

Judging by the color of the sky, it would be dawn soon—way too early for there to be anyone to ask for directions. Or was it? He had almost made it to the street corner when he heard the soft tinkle of bells behind him. Someone had stepped out in front of one of the shops and was putting up a sign.

"Shin-chan," Kaito muttered, scooping the detective up into his arms and running back the way they had come, "play unconscious for now, okay?"

Shinichi grumbled an agreement and shut his eyes. His head was spinning too badly for him to question the magician's motives, and he trusted his judgment in tight situations.

"Hey!" Kaito called, injecting some desperation into his voice as he approached the shop—a bookstore by the looks of the window display. "Something's wrong with my friend and I don't know what's wrong with him. Do you know where I can get help? Our apartment—there was this explosion—and I don't know what happened."

The man turned towards them and Kaito almost faltered when he recognized his concerned face. Takagi? Takagi Wataru, one of the detectives that worked with the Beika police department? What was he doing here working at a bookstore?

Kaito didn't have time to contemplate this as Takagi hurried over to them and peered anxiously down at Shinichi. Kaito was relieved when no signs of recognition flickered across his face.

"He seems to have a mild case of magic water poisoning," the man said. Glancing covertly about at the still deserted street, he hastily ushered them into the shop. "We need to get some water into him and get him cleaned up."

"Magic water poisoning?" That didn't sound good. Actually, it didn't make any sense either.

"You said there was an explosion?"

"At the factory." Kaito gestured in the factory's general direction.

"So it did happen after all," Takagi said quietly, more to himself than his guests. He glanced over Shinichi again then pointed. "There."

Kaito looked down, only just noticing the splashes of crimson on his partner's clothes and his own. So this was what they called magic water?

"But my clothes are soaked too and I don't feel ill," he noted aloud.

Takagi frowned uneasily at him. "I guess that means you're one of the compatible ones. Have you ever had any contact with Pandora before?"

Kaito started. "Pandora?"

The man indicated the crimson stains. "Don't you know? That's what the officials call it."

"No," Kaito said slowly, processing this information and filing it away for later examination, "I haven't."

Takagi was still frowning, but said nothing more as he directed the magician through a door in the back of the shop and through a small apartment towards a bathroom. First, they had to get rid of the source of their current problems. Questions and answers would have to wait.

Takagi made sure his impromptu guests had everything they needed before hurrying to the kitchen where his wife was standing by the stove, her shoulders tense in a way that told him she'd been listening intently to what was going on outside. You could never be too careful these days.

"Who are they?" she asked the moment he stepped across the threshold.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think they're with the Guard. They…don't seem to be from around here. They didn't know about Pandora."

"How is that possible?"

Takagi shook his head, coming to a stop beside her. "I don't know… Miwako, I'm worried."

The woman sighed, running her free hand through her short, dark hair. "Me too."

.

After a hot bath and a change of clothes, Shinichi felt remarkably better, maybe still lightheaded but only a bit. He sat on the bed in the tiny guest room they'd been given, carefully examining its contents while he waited for Kaito to return from talking with their hosts. The furniture was simple and sparse, practical for the limited space. He hadn't recognized any of the brands on the products in the bathroom and the general architecture of the place felt old somehow—not quite in disrepair, but more as though the inhabitants had no choice but to make do.

Kaito slipped into the room a moment later, shutting the door behind him and setting a tray with two bowls of what looked like porridge on the nightstand. "Here, they said you should eat something."

"And they would be?" Shinichi asked, picking up one of the bowls.

"I guess you were too out of it to notice, but our dear hosts seem to be none other than Takagi-keiji and Satou-keiji—though they're not detectives here. They sell books in the store out front, and they have a baby girl too. I'd say they've been married for about two years."

Shinichi blinked, his spoon halfway to his mouth. Takagi and Satou…ran a bookstore?

"I'm not dreaming?" Shinichi asked finally.

"Not unless we both are," Kaito sighed. "But no, this feels too real unfortunately."

The detective shook his head, frowning. "So what does this mean then?"

For a long moment, the magician said nothing, staring around them at the windowless room but not really seeing it. When he finally did answer, his voice was completely devoid of any emotion. "I think we're in the world I've been dreaming about."

The world he'd been having nightmares about.

A world where Kudou Shinichi had been executed.

And all Kaito really wanted to do at that moment was to find a way to get them both out of there as quickly as possible.

* * *

**TBC… **

* * *

**AN**: For those who read my notes in "To Wish Upon a Star", this was actually the other story I had in mind when I was thinking about "if Toichi was alive and they met" scenarios.

Alaena F.D. did a picture for this story. To see it, please visit the Phantom Destinies (on my profile) website or her devianART page.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed (though the other elements of this story are mine:)

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Heiji x Kazuha

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Resurrected in Flames**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

Chapter 2

"Do you think we can trust them?"

"Somehow, it's funny that you're asking me that," Kaito chuckled, but his humor died almost as quickly as it had come. "Judging by the fact that they were rather anxiously discussing whether or not we had any connection to the Guard I told you about, I'd say we at least don't have to worry about them being connected to the authorities. Whether or not that means we can trust them, I don't know."

Nursing the bowl of hot porridge in his hands, Shinichi thought for a moment. "I don't think we have a choice but to risk it. We just don't know enough about what's going on. If things go wrong, you can get us out of here, right?"

"Of course."

The detective nodded slowly. "So how do you think we should broach the subject?"

"Well," Kaito drawled, indicating Shinichi's appearances with a wave of his hand, "you and who you are would probably be a nice, shocking start."

Sure enough, the moment Shinichi walked into the kitchen looking like himself again and with his empty bowl in hand, both of its original occupants froze. Takagi gaped, the utensils he'd been about to arrange on the table clattering unheeded to the floor. The knuckles of Satou's hand on the stewpot ladle turned white from the sudden tightness of her grip.

"You—but you—!"

Satou cut her partner off sharply, "Who are you?"

Shinichi cringed. He wasn't accustomed to being spoken to like this by the two detectives. "I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm—"

"Kudou Shinichi," Takagi interrupted, his voice strained.

"Er, yeah."

"But that's impossible," Satou retorted. "He's dead. We all saw it. He was executed only a few days ago."

.

Toichi mingled casually amidst the crowd gathered at a safe distance to watch the clean up crews busy at the now destroyed factory. It looked like his timing had been perfect and no one had been hurt. He was more concerned about the Pandora spills. The fire hadn't been quite intense enough to burn off all of it as he had hoped and heaven only knew what trouble that could cause. The powerful substance seemed to have a life of its own, the reason why extended exposure to it tended to mess with people's minds.

There was no telling what the magic might have done.

Slipping through the bystanders, Toichi made a careful circuit of the premises, making sure that none of the Guards stationed around the area got a good look at him. A flash of white lab coat told him that the Four had sent some of their scientists to the site as well, which for once might have been a good thing. If the magic started to run wild, the authorities would suffer just as much as the commoners. Still, when it came to magical competence—and, admittedly, most other things—Toichi trusted only himself.

On first glance, it seemed that everything had gone smoothly after all. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened. Even if none of them could see it, something had changed.

Up ahead, the thief spotted a familiar brown ponytail and paused. So there were members of the Counter Guard here too. What had her name been? Toyama Kazuha, that was it. The young woman stood on the edge of the crowd, her face turned towards the ruins and her eyes troubled. It almost looked as though she was searching for something or someone. Among the rebel group known as the Counter Guard, she was probably the only person Toichi would even consider approaching now and he briefly considered going over to ask her what she was looking for, but changed his mind when he spotted the green-eyed young man heading towards her. The last time Toichi had met Hattori Heiji, he'd been sorely tempted to give the boy a sound tongue lashing and leave him in the hands of the Guard who'd been about to drag him away. He hadn't because Toichi prided himself on his self control, but that seemed to be wearing thin these days and he didn't want to end up causing a scene. The young man put a comforting hand on Kazuha's shoulder and murmured something to which she shook her head, biting her lip and turning away. Soon, the two had vanished amongst the crowd.

Toichi returned to his examination of the clean up crews, his heart giving a slight pang when he remembered the only other member of the Counter Guard that he had been willing to trust and trusted him in return. If he hadn't been severely injured then, he might have been able to pull the boy out of there before the execution, but Fate hadn't decided to be kind. Then again, Fate had been pretty cruel all around for too many years now. Kudou Shinichi was just another failure on his part now to add to his list right alongside Chikage and their son.

Another regret and another reason to use everything he had at his disposal to destroy the regime.

A slightly bitter smile twitched the corners of his lips before he banished it and turned his back on the ruins, small fires still breaking out here and there amongst the collapsed machinery. He needed to find out exactly what had happened here after he'd set off his explosives and he knew where he could go to get that information if he hurried.

A little more than a block away, Toyama Kazuha chewed worriedly at her bottom lip, casting another glance back over her shoulder towards the destruction site.

"Hey, you okay?" Heiji asked, concerned. "Is it…?"

He trailed off uneasily and Kazuha managed a slight smile, shaking her head. He didn't like to talk about her visions no matter how helpful they had been in the past, didn't like to be reminded about her past. She knew what the regime had done to her angered him and it warmed her to know how much he cared, but it also worried her sometimes. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever be able to really accept that part of her. She'd wanted to ask him about it once or twice not long after he'd first rescued her but never quite worked up the courage. For now, if he was happy just ignoring that she was one of the few people with the ability to wield Pandora, she'd let it slide.

"It's not a vision, just a feeling." Which was the truth, if not the whole truth. She hadn't had any visions recently. No, the visions had come months ago, but Shinichi had been the only one she had told about them. Because she'd known they would be important for him to know. And at his request, she had kept quiet—would keep quiet until the right time. It was just that she'd been so _sure_ they would be there.

"Damn magician," Heiji muttered darkly as another patrol car sped past them on the street, headed towards the factory district.

"I thought you'd be happy that he got rid of another factory."

"Yeah, but I'll bet he took some of the stuff with him before he blew it up."

"It's his way of fighting them."

He snorted. "He might be fighting them too, but using that death potion to do it makes him just like them."

Kazuha sighed and shivered. Moments later, a warm jacket was draped over her shoulders and she looked up into her companion's face, the darkness in his expression softened again by anxiety. When he noticed her watching, he quickly looked away.

"Er, you seemed cold. Come on, let's head back."

.

Kaito had to admit that even for them, the story they had to tell with his weird dreams and their abrupt world change sounded pretty unbelievable. Which was why the fact that neither detective had any trouble believing them really brought home that they weren't _at_ home—well, they weren't detectives in this world anymore, but still. At least that wasn't to say they weren't suitably amazed.

"This is incredible," Satou mused—technically, it was Takagi Miwako here, but neither young man was used to that seeing as the Takagi Wataru in their world hadn't yet scraped up the courage to ask Satou to marry him. "It must have been the explosion at the factory that caused it. Spills of magic water can cause some pretty crazy accidents."

"About that," Kaito said, perched in the chair beside Shinichi at the kitchen table, "can you please explain what this whole "magic water" business is about?"

Their hosts exchanged worried looks.

"Well," Takagi started, rubbing uncomfortably at the back of his neck, "in this world, we have this substance that the government calls Pandora, though it has a lot of other names too. To put it simply, it's a poison. Most people who come in contact with it suffer from symptoms of illness or die. But for some people… I guess you could say they're compatible, and for them, Pandora grants supernatural powers."

Thief and detective listened with curiosity and growing unease as their hosts explained how the four people who apparently ran this entire empire had discovered Pandora and designed a way to mass produce it. Apparently, being "compatible" meant just four people could conquer the world.

"Fortunately and unfortunately, people who can use Pandora are rare, and people who can control its full power are even rarer."

"Unfortunately?"

"After awhile, magic water can start to erode the user's mind. It drives people crazy and crazy people can end up doing crazy things." Satou clenched and unclenched her fists in her lap. "And usually, it's everyone else who ends up getting hurt until the Four sees fit to deal with them."

"But if that's true, why haven't they gone mad?" Shinichi asked.

Takagi shrugged. "Maybe they're just strong enough to deal with the consequences. It's hard to say since KID's the only other wielder we know who can control it as well as they can and uses it so extensively. Or maybe they are mad and we just haven't seen them really lose it yet."

Indigo and sapphire eyes stared across the table in shock.

Kaito recovered first and asked with only a hint of curiosity, "KID? Bit of an odd name."

"Bit of an odd man too. I believe Kudou Yuusaku was the one who gave him that name, but it's hard to say."

"My father," Shinichi said, frowning. "Do you know where he is now?"

Takagi shook his head. "Neither he nor his wife have been seen for quite some time. We're… We're not sure what happened to them."

"So who is this KID anyway?" Kaito persisted, not willing to drop the subject just yet. "You say he uses Pandora. He's not with these four emperors or anything, is he?"

"Of course not," Satou replied, sounding almost offended at the suggestion. "He's done more than anyone against the empire."

"Though no one really knows why or what exactly he's after," Takagi added.

Shinichi could feel Kaito relax just a fraction. He had to admit to feeling rather relieved himself.

Kaito tapped a finger thoughtfully against the tabletop. "I'm guessing this Pandora stuff will be our best bet for getting home then."

Hesitating for only a moment, Takagi nodded. "I think you might be able to use it, but getting a hold of enough to provide the kind of power you'll probably need won't be easy."

Kaito smirked. "You can just let us worry about the details. I assure you I'm very good at getting what I want."

It didn't matter that he had no idea how this Pandora was supposed to work. He would find a way. All that mattered was getting them out of there before anything could happen to his detective.

.

One of the amazing things about human beings was that despite the turmoil and the tragedies that fate made of their world, they could still somehow continue to live on. And as the day drew closer to noon, Shinichi could see the streets beyond the bookshop windows gradually filling with people. Though most of them moved quickly about their business and conversed in hushed voices, he could nonetheless spot a smile here and there, even if it was one of relief more often than it was one of joy.

"If we pay our taxes and stay out of the way of the officials, things are usually pretty quiet," Takagi said, noticing the direction of his gaze. Placing a couple books onto the shelves to fill an empty spot left over from business the day before, he got down from the ladder and gestured towards the passers-by. "The real problems come if you can't afford the tributes that the officials demand or if you run afoul of the Guard. And of course, children who are compatible with Pandora…" He paused then shook his head as though to rid himself of a particularly unpleasant thought. "People who are compatible are either taken away by the Guard or killed. They say it's for everyone's safety, but most of us know it's only a way to stop people from rebelling. A lot of families have been broken up because of that."

Shinichi nodded, returning to the books he'd volunteered to help him sort. "How long has it been?"

"Let's see. The Four have been in power for about a decade or so." The furrow in the older man's brow smoothed out abruptly and he gave Shinichi an apologetic look. "You must be curious. I'm sorry that we can't risk you walking about outside right now."

"I know, you don't need to apologize. Actually, I'm more worried about Kaito."

The house felt far too quiet with the magician having gone out with Satou. Shinichi would really have preferred to go with them, but he knew better than to insist. Right now wasn't the time.

"I'm sure your friend will be fine. Miwako won't let anything happen to either of them. As soon as she's shown your friend the way and he's had a look around, they'll be right back. And then you said your friend would be able to sneak you two in and get you home." Takagi's smile broadened, lighting up his face. "To be honest, I'm really glad I got the chance to meet you. Maybe it's wrong of me seeing as how dangerous it is for you to be here, but it's good to know that there's a world out there where Kudou-san is still alive."

Shinichi smiled weakly. Yes, he supposed he could see how that would be comforting from some angles. But that didn't change how it felt to know that in some worlds out there, you were dead. He'd always found it hard to be an optimistic person.

For the most part, the bookshop didn't see a lot of customers. An occasional man or woman would walk through the door throughout the day, but they almost always seemed too agitated or worn to browse for long. Several people seemed to drop by simply to talk with Takagi and they'd exchange news on the goings on about the city before the strangers were again on their way. Whenever people did come into the store, Shinichi would duck behind the counter and just listen to what was said, filing the information away in case they needed it later. And the books, there weren't all that many with anything useful as far as historical accounts were concerned, but you could still find clues here and there. One book in particular caught his interest and he tucked it away to read later. If he was correct then it may have been written by his father no more than a year or two ago.

This world certainly was not a happy place and he couldn't help but wonder how Kaito was feeling about it all. Magic for the world renowned magician thief had always been, first and foremost, about amazing people, about making them wonder and hope and believe. This place, the regime that ran it, all went against what Kaito had always thought magic to represent.

It was late into the afternoon before the two finally returned. Kaito's expression was unreadable and few words were exchanged as the four ate a hasty dinner and Takagi returned to make sure the shop ran as usual.

"Is there anything else you need?" Miwako asked, frowning. Neither of her guests carried any weapons or means of self protection that she could see and they never had explained quite how Kuroba would be able to get them past the government laboratory's high security. Though perhaps it was better that she didn't know.

"You've done more than enough," Shinichi assured her, pulling on his newly washed jacket. "Thank you, both of you. Hopefully, we'll see you in a couple hours."

"No need to wait up for us though," Kaito added, pulling up the hood of a sweater he'd borrowed from Takagi. "This could take awhile."

And if they didn't return… Well, it was probably best that Takagi and his wife forget they'd ever met them.

Miwako bit her lip uneasily but gave a curt nod in reply. "Good luck then."

.

It was amazing how quickly the streets cleared out as soon as night had fallen. Someone might as well have sounded a siren, except that no one had and the silence was more eerie than anything else. Kaito surveyed the deserted walkways with a soundless sigh. This could make things a bit trickier, especially since it wasn't just him he had to sneak into the building. He would have disguised them better except he didn't have the materials he needed to do so. They would have to make do.

"Remember," he murmured, taking Shinichi's hand and starting down the street, keeping to the shadows of the buildings. "We're just a couple of people on their way home for the day."

Shinichi squeezed his hand lightly to let him know he understood, keeping his head low to hide his face.

They had only just made it to the end of the street before the bookshop when they heard the first group on patrol. Kaito debated for only a moment before pulling them both into the dark entryway of a small apartment building. It seemed better to not risk being seen at all when they could help it.

The men and women who passed by them were dressed mostly in black and red. They wore some light armor and all but one of them carried weapons of one kind or another. The only empty handed Guard had much more red in his costume than the others, and there seemed almost to be a taint of red in his brown eyes as well when the moonlight struck his face at just the right angle.

Shinichi shivered. That man had to be one of these new so-called magic users.

As soon as the group was out of earshot, Kaito once again started them on their way, walking quickly. They still had such a long way to go and so little time.

The closer they came to the center of the city, the more patrols they ran into until finally, Kaito steered them into an alley, switched into his KID regalia, and helped Shinichi onto the roof.

"Is that really a good idea?" the detective couldn't help but ask, concerned. He'd never been so conscious of just how white those clothes were. After all, they'd been designed by two men who both greatly enjoyed showing off.

"It'll be easier if we need to make a quick get away. And besides, it seems the KID in this world is quite a threat. I doubt ordinary patrols would dare try to fight him without first calling for backup."

Shinichi made an unhappy sound in his throat at that picture, but refrained from further protests. They didn't exactly have a lot of options here.

Then again, perhaps he should have worked harder to persuade Kaito to go with a different costume. Perhaps then they wouldn't have caught the attention of a certain other thief.

.

"Dear me, looks like I've accidentally come across something interesting tonight."

Shinichi froze. Beside him he could feel Kaito tense, though being the master actor that he was, none of this showed in the thief's movements as he casually turned to face the source of that familiar, slightly mocking voice. A voice he was accustomed to hearing from his own mouth rather than someone else's.

In the darkness of the night, the white fabric of the other's clothes made him look like a ghost, and Kaito wondered fleetingly if that was how he looked as well to anyone who might have chanced to see him. Most probably, because the person who stood before them could have been his reflection, the top hat, the cape, the monocle with its dangling clover charm—all of it apparently identical to his own outfit. Which, of course, could only mean one thing.

"Kaitou KID, I assume?" Kaito said, his voice equally light, giving nothing away. It was almost eerie, Shinichi thought, how similar they sounded—not so much their voices perhaps but their tones.

The other magician swept him a short bow. "Indeed, and who might you be? I'm afraid that I don't take well to imposters."

Shinichi could feel Kaito drawing himself up, greatly offended by this insinuation against his authenticity. He'd always been fiercely protective of his Kaitou KID reputation and did not at all appreciate being called a fake.

"Well actually, I'd be the one accusing you of impersonation except that I suppose it would be rude of me, this being technically your world and not mine. On the other hand, it _is _apparently your fault that I'm here in the first place so you've only got yourself to blame."

Behind his monocle, the other KID frowned just a little. "Not your world?"

Kaito reached up absently to tug at the brim of his white top hat. "You see, _someone _caused a huge Pandora spill last night. Let's just say that I was surprised to discover that parallel worlds _do _exist after all. We all just learn new things every day don't we, Kuroba-san?"

It was a testament to how well Shinichi knew Kaito that he could say with absolute certainty that the other KID was reeling from utter and complete shock. He could read it in the way his expression went abruptly blank in the same way Kaito's did when he was upset. For several seconds, silence reigned on the rooftop.

Taking the opportunity, Shinichi coughed and stepped out from behind Kaito. "May I interrupt for a moment?"

Slightly widened eyes stared at him in disbelief and their owner actually took a step back this time. "Kudou Shinichi? But how?" Thoughts raced behind those eyes and then abruptly, everything clicked into place. "You're telling me that you two are the Kudou Shinichi and Kaitou KID from another world?"

Well, that was certainly a whole lot more believable than Kudou Shinichi coming back from the dead. He knew Pandora could do some incredible things, but resurrecting the dead was not one of them.

Though if what they claimed was true, and Toichi found himself believing that it was, this entire situation was pretty much his fault.

"I think we need to talk."

"We'd like to, but we're on a bit of a tight schedule." Shinichi took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving the other magician's face. Somehow, he was starting to think that whoever this thief was, it wasn't Kaito. Yet at the same time, he felt like they could trust him, a good thing too all considered they may need his help when it came to using this—and he couldn't believe he was saying this—_magic_. "Can it wait?"

The other KID gestured towards the smooth dome of the laboratory building. "If you're looking for the Pandora crystals, they've been moved. And at any rate, you'd need a much purer crystal than the ones they had to provide enough power to send you home. I assume that's why you're here"

"I see." Shinichi sighed. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed even though he had honestly not expected it to be that easy. "Well then, in that case…"

The three of them made it down into a deserted alley without incident. Kaito still felt a little wary of the other, but his counterpart seemed not to notice or perhaps not to mind. No doubt his thoughts were churning with other things like detectives that ought to have been dead. Still, the tension returned with a vengeance when the three at last found themselves standing in a sparsely furnished apartment tucked away in a part of town that appeared to have lost most of its streetlights.

In the almost entirely empty living room, the two thieves stood facing one another once more, neither of them speaking. Shinichi looked from one to the other then back again, trying to read the thoughts hidden behind their shadowed faces. Then hesitantly, having both concluded at about the same time that they had already come too far to back down, they reached up and carefully removed the hat and monocle that they usually used to obscure their features and identities.

And the stunned realization dawned on Shinichi that he'd been right and this world's Kaitou KID was not Kuroba Kaito.

Kaito had been expecting—well, _himself_. But when the hat and monocle were removed, the face that stared back at him belonged to someone else entirely, someone he had thought he would never see again during his lifetime.

"Tou-san?"

* * *

**TBC… **

* * *

.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed (though the other elements of this story are mine:)

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Heiji x Kazuha

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Resurrected in Flames**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

Chapter 3

_Tou-san? _

The word seemed to hang in the air between them long after it had been spoken, caught in their mirrored expressions of shocked disbelief. The young man before him looked to be about Shinichi's age, perhaps in his early twenties give or take. And he had just addressed him as his father. But—could that mean?

Toichi swallowed thickly, his mouth dry as emotions churned inside him that he hadn't let himself think about in years. The boy certainly did share a great resemblance with him, especially about the eyes and the sharp angles of his face. But that would mean that he—

"Kaito?" Toichi's voice almost cracked on the word, something that practically never happened, but he couldn't help it. His son. This KID from another world was his son, maybe not the same boy he had lost so many years ago but still _his son_.

Kaito didn't know what to think. It was like the entire world had frozen around the revelation that in this world, his father was still alive and standing in front of him. Yet at the same time, he seemed far, far different from the father he remembered. This Toichi looked almost haggard, tired and a little haunted through the cracks in his mask. It was an expression Kaito occasionally saw in the mirror, but seeing it on his father's face felt infinitely more disturbing. It drove home more than anything had before just how badly this world must have been messed up. And for the first time since arriving, he seriously wondered where his own counterpart was.

Shinichi looked from father to son then back again, his own mind racing. He had a sinking feeling in his chest concerning the upcoming conversation.

"What happened to you?" Shinichi dreaded the answer but he had to ask. Neither thief seemed willing to be the first to break the silence.

The sudden reminder of his presence finally allowed Toichi to tear his eyes away from Kaito and he laughed hoarsely. "Well, that's a very broad question. Where would you like me to start?"

"Where am I?" Kaito asked abruptly. "I mean, where is the me in this world? I thought—when we heard that there was a KID in this world too, I assumed that it was me. I never thought you'd be the original…"

Kaito trailed off, his hands clenching into fists at his side before he consciously forced them to relax.

Toichi frowned. "So then I'm…?"

Kaito didn't seem like he wanted to answer so Shinichi spoke up instead. "There was a criminal syndicate in our world called the Black Organization. The original Kaitou KID was murdered by them more than ten years ago."

The older magician's face went just as unreadable as his son's. "And my wife?"

"She's doing well."

"I see." Those two words seemed to take all the energy out of him and Toichi relaxed, a weary but genuine smile flickering across his otherwise grim features. "That's good then."

A coldness settled in the pit of his stomach and Kaito swallowed. He had a very bad feeling about where this was headed. "We're dead, aren't me?"

Toichi didn't flinch—that just wasn't a KID thing to do, but he went perfectly still, which for both KIDs could be equated to roughly the same thing. The fact that he didn't deny it was answer enough. "It's been about ten years."

Shinichi wondered if this was how Kaito had felt after his dreams of this place and his counterpart's execution, lightheaded and hollow and so suddenly afraid—like the ground had just been pulled out from under his feet. Ten years, if Kaito and his mother had been killed in this world instead of Toichi… Kaito would never even have had the chance to grow up. Shinichi would never have met him. And…

And why was Kaito smiling?

Shinichi stared at his partner, his temporarily frozen mind unable to comprehend why he was smiling. The logical part of him could tell that it wasn't a genuine smile—their friends would probably have been surprised to learn just how few of Kaito's smiles really were—but the not-so-logical part of him didn't feel like paying attention to such observations. Sometimes he hated how the magician could smile no matter what had happened or what was going on. But at other times, he knew that it was one of the few things that were keeping their world from crashing down around them. It sounded strange but Kaito's decidedly insane smile was, in its way, one of the things that kept him sane.

Padding soundlessly past his father, Kaito snagged Shinichi by the elbow and steered him over to one of the chairs by the small table. Drawing up his own chair, he turned and nodded to Toichi.

"Why don't we all have a seat? It seems we really do have much to discuss."

.

It was a rather sobering story and the three parted ways in grim silence, though the two thieves did exchange a hesitant and slightly awkward hug and Toichi gave his son a tiny white bird—a way to contact him if need be. Shinichi tried to ignore the fact that said bird's eyes were a pure, bloody red.

About ten years ago, Pandora and its powers had only just begun to be discovered. Toichi had been one of its early discoverers, and also one of the only people compatible with its magic. For these reasons and others, the organization that would eventually become the head of this empire had come looking for him. They had wanted his assistance and he had refused. After that, he had tried but it was already too late to erase the existence of Pandora from people's minds. History carried on and how easily people's lives could be changed.

Toichi hadn't had any of the Pandora crystals they'd been looking for, but Kaito could feel the weight of the glass flask of the same, translucent liquid now resting in his coat pocket. A precaution, his father had explained, though both he and Shinichi were reluctant at the idea of Kaito actually using it. It could give a person a lot of power, certainly, but it could also change them—drive them mad—and should only be considered as a last resort.

When they returned to the bookshop, however, it was to discover that Takagi and Satou were not alone. There were four pairs of shoes by the apartment door instead of two, very worn shoes that looked like they'd been on the run for a long time. Thief and detective paused in the entryway, exchanging wary looks. But judging from the more or less peaceful state of things, it was unlikely that the visitors were a threat. And as they moved closer to the living room, the voices that met their ears resolved to be more than a little familiar.

Four pairs of eyes turned to meet them as they finally stepped into the room and the single set of green ones widened in shock. Hattori Heiji lurched to his feet, pointing a shaking finger at Shinichi.

"Kudou? But—you—is it really you? How is this possible?"

Like the other counterparts they had encountered thus far, this Hattori and Kazuha looked somewhat different from the ones they knew, not in their physical appearances per say but in the way they held themselves. There was a grimness about the other detective's features and a coldness in his eyes that you never saw in the version that still often visited from Osaka. And as for Kazuha… Shinichi noted with some trepidation that her eyes were just slightly tinted red around the edges. A magic user? Was that why, unlike her companion, she didn't look surprised to see them?

Taking a deep breath, Shinichi chose his words carefully, unsure how to respond to these familiar strangers. Behind him, Kaito remained close but quiet. He was good at being unnoticed when he wanted to be. "That depends. My name is Kudou Shinichi, but I'm not the Kudou Shinichi that you think I am. You two would be Hattori Heiji and Toyama Kazuha, am I correct?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hattori asked, frowning. "And if you're not who I think you are, how do you know our names?"

"Because I'm pretty good friends with the two of you back in the world I'm from."

_The world_… Shinichi could see the other detective putting the pieces together in his head, although he wasn't actually sure if he was a detective in this world.

"When did you get here?"

"Last night."

Realization dawning, Hattori's eyes narrowed. "The explosion at that manufacturing plant caused by that damned magician."

Shinichi could sense Kaito's ire rising at the tone Hattori took when referring to his father, but thankfully, the thief remained quiet.

Before anything else could be said, Kazuha stood up and hesitantly stepped forward, moving around Hattori despite his reluctance to let her pass.

"Kudou-san," she greeted politely. Her gaze flickered to Kaito but she made no comment, not completely sure what to make of him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry about how sudden all this must be for you. But I really needed to give you this."

Reaching into a pocket hidden in the folds of her skirt, Kazuha held out a simple, pale brown envelope. Shinichi eyed it uncertainly for a moment before reaching out to accept it. He couldn't help but be curious.

"May I ask who this is from?"

The young woman gave him a wan smile. "It's from Shinichi."

She didn't have to elaborate upon which one.

Hattori looked as though he would have liked to ask more questions, but Kazuha took him gently by the arm and pulled him towards the door. She paused only long enough to bid Takagi and his wife goodnight before ushering her companion out through the bookshop and into the quiet street. They had a ways to go before it was safe and she could only imagine how much confusion was whirling around in her companion's mind, especially now the he knew she had known something.

Satou waited until the two Counter Guard members were safely outside before turning to Kaito. "Well?"

"We weren't able to get any of the crystals," the magician admitted with a sigh. "They were moved."

He wasn't sure if he should mention that they had met KID, though he preferred to stick to the side of caution. Relations between all these people seemed so complicated and he didn't want to add any more stress into the mix. Besides, KID wasn't a secret he was willing to share with these people yet.

"Oh." Takagi frowned in concern. "But then what are you going to do?"

"We'll figure something out," Kaito assured him, giving both of their hosts a reassuring smile. "But right now, I think we all need to get some sleep."

.

The envelope lay on Shinichi's lap, seemingly so innocuous beneath their intense gazes.

"So are you going to open it?" Kaito asked, breaking the silence. He'd shut and locked the guest room door behind them and moved to sit beside his detective on the bed.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice." Shinichi just wasn't sure what to expect. It felt so eerie to know that this letter had been written by another Shinichi, not only that but a version of himself that had already passed away. It made him wonder if he really wanted to know what he had to say.

"I'm sure it's important," Kaito prompted, his sharp indigo eyes correctly interpreting Shinichi's hesitation. "It sounds to me like the other you somehow knew that we'd be showing up. Being you, I'm sure whatever you wrote will be informative if nothing else."

Closing his eyes, Shinichi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know. It just feels creepy."

"Creepy doesn't begin to cover it," Kaito murmured, a hint of amusement making it into his voice despite the situation.

Without further prodding, Shinichi opened the envelope and removed the neatly folded piece of paper. Smoothing the letter out across his knee, he held it to the light at an angle so the light could better illuminate the writing. Kaito shifted closer so he could read it over his shoulder.

_To "myself" and his thief, _

_My friend Toyama Kazuha has promised to deliver this to you as soon as she can when you arrive in this world of ours, but I don't know how soon that will be or how many days or weeks will have gone by for you. I imagine that you are probably still quite confused, especially being me. I regret that I can't be there to explain things to you myself, but some things have to be done and certain consequences can't be avoided. Hopefully, this letter will be a good enough start on answering your questions. _

_My friend Kazuha is a clairvoyant, what some people might call a seer. In our world—the world you are in now—there is a powerful substance that the empire calls Pandora. For most it brings only illness and often death, but for some rare individuals, it grants incredible powers which I suppose could be called magic. Though I believe the Kaitou KID in our world disagrees with this name. In any case, Kazuha has a little of that power from her time growing up with her parents in the Guard, and though she's part of the rebels now she still has visions sometimes. It's said that once you've used Pandora's power, it will never let you go. Ah, it seems I'm wandering off topic again. I'm told this happens a lot, but there's just so much that I feel I need to tell you. To ask you. _

_You see, she was the one who told me that you would be arriving, though she doesn't know how it happened or how it's even possible. And I know you're probably anxious to get home. But please, please stay just a little longer. I am afraid what will happen to everyone—my friends, that thief, all the people who aren't involved in this struggle—now that I'm gone, even though it's been a long time since anyone has shared my view of things. That's part of the trouble I suppose, and one of the reasons I implore the both of you to stay. None of them understand. With the Counter Guard so caught up in their hatred of all things magic and KID persists in his revenge, it seems their differences may be irreconcilable after all. Yet if that proves to be the case, we might as well just surrender to the regime and be done with it. _

_If only… If only there was some way to unite everyone, some way to take down the Four who rule the empire ad saving this world of ours. I know it's unlike me, but I can't help but hope that the two of you are here not just by accident, that perhaps somehow you hold the answers to changing our lives for the better. I suppose you'll think it rather silly that I even consider the idea of fate or destiny. I know I'd think I was quite mad if I had been reading this instead of you, if I hadn't seen what I've seen. But too many people have died and too many people will continue to die if something is not done. _

_And so, I am asking you…to please do what you can. _

_Take care and best of luck whatever you may choose to do, _

_Kudou Shinichi _

The two of them sat in silence when they finished reading, their minds a whirl of thoughts and emotions. Somehow, the realities of this world hadn't quite sunk in until that moment. They'd both come to understand the conflict boiling beneath the surface of this strange empire, but Kaito had been too preoccupied with getting Shinichi home as soon as possible, dreading the thought that he might get killed too.

"So what do we do now?" Shinichi asked finally.

It felt…weird to be reading a letter written by another him. It spoke with a semblance of his voice, and yet it was also different. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. They'd seen too much of the suffering here to just leave, that was for sure.

"Being us, I suppose we don't have much of a choice," Kaito replied ruefully, though there was something dark about his humor. "I could never refuse when you ask me for help. But promise me, promise me you'll be extra careful. I don't know what I'd do if what happened to him happens to you."

"It won't," Shinichi promised, "and the same goes for you. There's real magic here and with your father and what he's doing… Please don't get carried away."

"I won't."

They fell silent again, considering their next moves. The Shinichi who had died in this world had asked them to help unite the different factions of the resistance, to help them bring down the darkness that had taken control of all their lives, and they would do their best. Though any plans would have to wait until morning.

In the meantime, Kaito waited for Shinichi to set the letter on the nightstand before pulling him into a kiss. Shinichi relaxed and shifted a bit so he could actually lie down, wrapping his arms around Kaito's neck to pull him closer.

For now, they just wanted to reassure themselves that they were both alive—both _there_. And they had learned long ago that there were few things in life more precious than that.

* * *

TBC…

* * *

**AN: **By the way, we're experimenting with making music videos, and Alaena just put one up on YouTube.

KaitoxShinichi – All About Us

It can also be found on the Phantom Destinies website.

**.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed (though the other elements of this story are mine:)

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Heiji x Kazuha

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

**Resurrected in Flames**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

Chapter 4

"What's going on, Kazuha?" Heiji paced before the fireplace, his brow furrowed in agitation.

They were back in one of the oldest houses in the city, one of the only ones with a basement still in relatively decent condition. It was one of the prime reasons the Counter Guard had chosen it for one of their bases, though the people who actually stayed there changed on a semi-routine basis. It was a place for people to touch bases, where plans were made, and where some people could hide when necessary, to wait for the post to which they would be assigned.

"You knew Kudou or whoever he is was going to be there. You weren't surprised at all."

Kazuha sighed, pulling the tie from her hair and running her fingers through it in an attempt to straighten out the tangles. She really was tired after such a long day. "Honestly, Heiji, I saw them in a vision several weeks ago. They're why I insisted on going with you to see the Pandora spills earlier this morning. I was hoping… Well, Shinichi-kun left me a letter to give to them before he—before he was caught. I was hoping to find them there so I could pass it on as he requested."

Her companion opened and shut his mouth, the expression on his face troubled. "Then why didn't you tell me? If you knew this was going to happen weeks ago—"

"And what would I have said? Would you even have believed me?"

"Of course I would have!"

"Sometimes I wonder about that," she admitted so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

Heiji stopped abruptly and turned to her. Dropping down in front of the dilapidated couch where she had seated herself, he took both of her hands in his. "Don't."

Kazuha bit her lip. His eyes looked so pained at that moment that she felt guilty for even saying the words. It was easy to say that for relationships to work out, people had to talk. But doing the talking and being honest about everything—really laying everything out on the table—could be so hard. "It's… It's just, you never want to talk about it. You might want to forget that I was ever involved in magic or the Guard, but that's all still a part of me. It's my history, Heiji. It made me who I am. Sometimes, I feel like you just don't understand that—no, that you don't _wan_t to understand that."

"I—" Heiji started then stopped, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a rush. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

"I know." Kazuha closed her eyes for a moment then opened them and smiled softly, if still a little sad. "And I'm sorry that I told Shinichi but not you. I wouldn't have told anyone except that it felt important that he know."

"I'll say." Rubbing the back of his neck, Heiji shook his head. "Damn, I still can't believe it. So are there versions of all of us in a lot of other worlds?"

"Maybe. Who knows? I've never been to any world but this one."

"Good point. It just feels a little creepy."

The pair fell silent and Heiji moved to sit on the couch beside her. There were a couple other people staying at this particular hideout that night, but they were the only ones still awake. There wasn't much in the way of furniture in the house and most of it was old and worn, but it was clean and the promise of safety no matter how brief was comfort enough—indeed, more comfort than any material furnishings could have offered.

"So," Heiji said finally, propping his elbows on his knees, his voice quiet and pensive, "do you know what Kudou wrote in that letter? And who was that other guy anyway? I don't think I've ever seen anyone like him before. He's from the same world Kudou's from, right?"

"He is," Kazuha agreed, equally quiet. "I'm not sure who he is though."

Shinichi seemed to know when she mentioned the strange young man who accompanied his counterpart in her vision. He'd looked shocked then curious, hopeful, calculating, sad, and regretful all at once. Thinking back on it now, Kazuha wondered if he'd known then what fate awaited him on that mission gone so terribly wrong.

"I think he's important to Kudou-san though." Kazuha copied her companion and propped her elbows on her knees, staring into the fire that burned so brightly in the fireplace. The heating system had broken down the week before and they hadn't been able to fix it yet. Luckily, the season wasn't particularly cold. "When he gave me the letter, Shinichi-kun told me that he wished he could meet him. He didn't tell me what he wrote about."

She could guess though. All of them had felt the tension between Shinichi and the rest of the Counter Guard in the past few months. The conflict in opinion of its leaders set everyone on edge at least a little.

"Hmmm," Heiji nodded. He could tell she wasn't telling him everything, but he didn't want to press her. He too, after all, had felt the tension having been one of the main causes for its existence.

There was another moment of silence then Kazuha stood up, firmly shaking away the drowsiness that had been overtaking her. This was no place to be falling asleep. "I'm going to bed, okay? You should too. It's late."

And she didn't need any magical powers to know that they were both going to have to be at their best for whatever was going to happen in the future. Because the future was changing and she hoped desperately that it was a change for the better.

.

"All right, first thing's first," Kaito announced at the breakfast table the following morning. "I need to stock up on supplies. I don't suppose either of you could direct me to any arts and crafts stores? Places that sell makeup? Fabric? Accessories? I'm sure Shin-chan is tired of having to hide out in this store. I'll need to throw together a good disguise for him so we can move around more freely."

"Keep it simple please," Shinichi sighed from beside him, pushing the scrambled eggs about his plate. Kaito worked amazingly quickly when he was disguising a person as someone else like he often did on his heists. But disguising someone as an entirely new person? That had room for creativity so the magician had a tendency to take his time and go all out with it. It was the face masks that really got to him. Having to sit for heaven only knew how long for Kaito to meticulously construct and apply it then having to wear it felt almost like torture on particularly bad days.

Kaito pouted for a moment but Shinichi knew it was really just for show. He could already see the wheels turning behind the sharp indigo eyes, calculating and making plans, backup plans, and backup plans for his backup plans. It was a…comforting look if you were in KID's good graces—in so far as any of his plans could be considered comforting anyway, and a highly troubling one if you were not. Kaito was, when you got down to it, a man of action, but also a surprisingly practical one for the most part.

Wataru frowned in thought. "There should be a few places around here. It's been so long though so I don't know if they're still open."

"We'll make do," Kaito assured him with a shrug. Polishing off the rest of his breakfast, he headed for their room to grab his coat. "I'm ready when you are."

Takagi Wataru lost count of how many shops they visited, but he was sure it had been at least half a dozen by lunch time. That in itself wasn't really the strange part. No, what he couldn't quite figure out was where in the world the young man was keeping all his purchases. Kaito would pay for whatever it was he wanted at the counter and usually leave the shop before Takagi had quite noticed, and by the time he caught up with him again, his hands would be empty. As a former police detective, Wataru couldn't help but _wonder_.

"Just one more thing left," Kaito mused, pausing just outside of the art supplies store they'd just come out of. "Might be a bit tricky though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," the magician drawled, "I don't want anyone to see us buying a wig, which really only leaves me one option."

Wataru glanced around and had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he spotted a hair saloon across the street. "What are you going to do?"

Kaito flashed a sharp grin. "I'm going to steal some hair. Just give me five minutes. Wait here."

And before Wataru could protest, he was gone, melting into the crowd like a ghost. The bottom line was that it was _creepy_—this person who had come to their world with Kudou. It hadn't occurred to him to question it before, but now he couldn't help but notice that he'd never met a counterpart to the young man in his world. Of course, the world was a very big place, but it seemed as though mostly, people still tended to come into contact with the same set of individuals. At least that was what he concluded from the fact that this new Kudou Shinichi seemed to still recognize them all. So then who exactly was Kuroba Kaito?

Of course, then Kaito reappeared beside him looking rather smug and murmuring about how it was lucky that black was such a common hair color, and Wataru wondered if he really wanted to know the answer to that question. If there was anything living in these troubled times taught you, it was that sometimes, ignorance really was the safer if not the better option.

As soon as they were back in the shop, Kaito got to work. He ushered Shinichi into their room and locked the door behind them before throwing together several different outfits and demanding that the detective try them on for his inspection. People in this world didn't seem as keen on bright colors, which was just as well seeing as duller hues fit better into the camouflage theme anyway. In addition, Kaito had mostly gone for loose-fitting articles that made Shinichi look more like a poor and ill fed bookworm. The new glasses and slight makeup only enhanced this feeling and Shinichi had to raise his eyebrows when he glanced at his reflection in the mirror above the dresser.

"I look like a well dressed street bum."

Kaito laughed, though his hands were steady as he adjusted the wig on his partner's head. "I wouldn't say that. You're too clean and well groomed to be a street bum."

The magician had chosen to give him long hair on the grounds that you could do a lot more with it. Not to mention that in a pinch, it could be used to further obscure his face. On the whole, Shinichi had to admit that Kaito had done a good job as usual, and it really wasn't a very complicated costume at all. Comparing their images upon the silvered glass, he mused that it was a good thing that maturity had altered their features enough that Kaito no longer looked like his identical twin—a relative maybe, but not an identical twin. There had always been slight differences, but time had taken those slight differences and enhanced them. The magician's face was more angular, his features sharper, and though they still bore something of a resemblance to one another, it was now a lot more difficult for anyone to actually mistake one for the other.

Catching his gaze in the mirror, Kaito grinned. "Ready to give it a test?"

"A test?" Shinichi repeated, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "But what happens if someone recognizes me?"

Now that he was faced with the prospect, he wondered if he should have asked Kaito to go all out after all and make him into something completely different.

Kaito shrugged. "They'll most likely think they're going crazy. If not then I spirit you away and we go with plan B."

Because KID always had a plan B. And a plan C and maybe even a plan D, but anyway, Shinichi had other things to worry about right now.

.

For such a tyrannical kind of society, there seemed to be an unusually high number of bookstores throughout the city. But then logically, Kaito supposed that you needed something to keep the people happy, and the stories in books were in some ways easier options than most. And perhaps when you had magic at your disposal, you weren't all that concerned with regular rebellions. Of course, such disregard could also prove to be a grave mistake.

"Looks like you're clear to go," Kaito observed under his breath, his hands tucked in the pockets of his coat and his posture slightly slouched, the picture of harmless casualness.

"I guess so," Shinichi murmured, resisting the urge to scratch his head. He really hated wigs, but he had to agree that it was amazing how different a change in hairstyles could make a person appear. "Since we're already out here, I think we should see what kind of information we can find on the political situation before we approach Hattori and his group."

"The Counter Guard," Kaito mused, turning left as they reached the corner of the street. "There's a combination bookstore and library down this way. I thought it looked kind of cool. Maybe they'll have records."

"We can start with the newspapers if they have them," the detective decided, unconsciously lifting a hand to his chin while he thought. "Maybe a look at some modern literature wouldn't be a bad idea either."

"Newspapers, huh?" The corners of Kaito's lips quirked upward. "Sounds good to me."

Shinichi snorted. "You just want to read about KID."

"Of course I do. And I'll bet you there will be lots of articles. We master magician thieves are good at making it into the papers. Front pages too."

An amused smile tugged at Shinichi's own lips. "And don't we all know it. I still can't believe you accepted all those challenges from Sonoko's uncle."

"Ah, Suzuki Jirokichi. How could I refuse? I mean, he's so keen to compete with me that it would be a shame to disappoint him. Besides, he challenged me and KID never refuses a challenge."

.

Kaito turned out to be right about the newspapers. Articles on KID were probably some of the most common, though their tones were somewhat darker than those of the articles back home. Then again, that was to be expected.

The magician could hardly believe all the things his father had been up to. He felt more like a terrorist than an honest thief and he wasn't at all sure he liked that fact. But then he sat back and considered what he might have done if he'd been in his father's shoes and he couldn't honestly say that he would have done things any differently. At least for the most part, Toichi always made sure the places he targeted were cleared of civilians before he made his move.

On the other hand, it seemed that the KID in this world had killed before. Kaito set the newspaper down, his face completely blank of emotions which signified to Shinichi that he was deep in thought. He'd just been reading about a fight this world's KID had had with the Guards. It had involved the use of Pandora on both sides and neither side had escaped completely unscathed. But in the end, the thief had walked away and some of his enemies had not. Was that the price you had to pay in this kind of fight? Or was that the reason Pandora was so dangerous? How much could it really change a person, to wield that kind of power?

"Don't think about it," Shinichi said quietly, putting that particular newspaper away and handing him another one. "We can't change what's happened in the past."

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment then picked up the next newspaper. "No, we can't."

He knew that better than anyone. And he knew also that it did little good to dwell on it.

Evidence of the Counter Guard turned out to be almost as common, but harder to pinpoint since their members were scattered all over the place and they didn't have a single particularly visible leader. As far as they could tell, their activities didn't seem all that different from KID's. Only where KID tended to steal Pandora as well as destroy its reserves, the Counter Guard sought only to destroy it. They also occasionally broke in to retrieve prisoners or children who had been taken away by the Guard due to their ability to use the magic solution. In this way, they could both deplete the enemy's numbers and add to their own. Shinichi frowned a little. It wasn't that it seemed like a bad idea. But it just didn't seem right somehow to drag children into this kind of fight no matter the reason. Desperation was no excuse for allowing yourself to become just as inhumane.

"I'm starting to wonder what we're doing here," Kaito sighed, dropping the last newspaper onto the stack and leaning back in his chair. The library felt dark around them, a little dusty and empty except for the two of them. "I mean, what can we do about all this?"

Removing his fake glasses and rubbing his eyes, Shinichi sighed. "Honestly, I don't know."

They were just a detective and a thief. They hadn't been brought up to fight in wars, not like this.

"On to the novels?" Kaito suggested, standing and holding out his hand to his detective.

Shinichi nodded and let him pull him to his feet. They put away the newspapers and headed towards the stairs leading up into the bookstore.

Browsing novels was, at least, more enjoyable and it went some ways to lightening the solemn mood that had settled over them in the basement library. The darker the times, it seemed, the more humor people injected into their work. Comedies, parodies, and romances seemed to be the order of the day. Kaito leafed through what seemed to be a strange version of Shakespeare's _Romeo and Julie_t with a raised eyebrow and set it back on the shelf. "Somehow, I don't think we're going to get anything useful out of this stuff. People are either being cautious or they just don't want to think about what's going on—or both."

"Probably both," Shinichi agreed. He wrinkled his nose at the slapstick sense of humor one writer seemed to have and swapped the book for another one that had been set up on one of the display tables.

"I'm getting hungry," Kaito announced, wrapping an arm about his shoulders. "Let's go get some dinner. Then we can head back and ask Takagi if he knows where we can find the Counter Guard. They seem to have more connections with our host than we've been told. If not, well, I'm sure we can work something out. For that matter, Tou-san might know something too. I think we all need to sit down for a nice, long talk."

He trailed off when Shinichi's eyes widened. "What?"

Carefully, Shinichi shut the book and turned it over, scanning the text through suddenly narrowed eyes. Then he looked up at Kaito.

"I think this was written by my father," he said slowly. "I saw another book back at Takagi's that also looks a lot like his work."

"Which means he's not dead," Kaito noted, glancing at the cover of the novel which showed the shadow of a person stepping up out of the water of a dark lake. "That's good. I wonder where he stands in all this."

"Not just that," Shinichi continued, digging through his pockets in search of some money so he could buy the novel in question. "I think we might be able to find him."

Whatever else, his father had always been able to give good advice. It didn't seem as though he was part of the Counter Guard, nor was he affiliated with KID. Perhaps he would have another perspective to offer on all this, or simply more useful information. If there was one thing his father was good at providing, it was research.

And hopefully, his mother would be with him.

* * *

**TBC… **

* * *

.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed (though the other elements of this story are mine:)

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Heiji x Kazuha

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned. **Also, please note that since this story largely takes place in a parallel universe, character counterparts from this universe may act differently than they would in the original universe, taking into account new backgrounds and story history.

* * *

**Resurrected in Flames**

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

Chapter 5

"So this is the place, huh?" Shinichi mused, surveying the rundown building with slight misgiving.

"According to Tou-san's directions, it would appear so."

The furrow in Shinichi's brow deepened as he recollected their meeting earlier with Kaito's father…

.

"You want to meet the Counter Guard?" Toichi raised one just slightly dubious eyebrow at them from across the circular table.

The three of them had decided to meet for breakfast in a moderately sized restaurant not quite in the midst of city activity but not too far out of the way either. It was kind of ironic, Shinichi noted idly, that out of the three of them, Kaito was the only one who actually looked like himself considering how much time the magician spent pretending to be other people. Then again, no one in this world _could_ recognize Kaito. As far as most of them knew, such a young man had never existed. Shinichi shivered and quickly took another sip of his coffee.

"Shinichi—ah, the other Shinichi—sort of asked us to," Kaito explained carefully. He wasn't sure he really wanted to share the contents of that letter with anyone, even his father. It felt too private somehow, the last words of someone who—though not his detective—was as close to being his beloved as anyone else could get. "We just want to talk."

Toichi studied them for a moment longer then nodded. "Fair enough, but I have to warn you. They may not want to hear what you have to say."

"We just want to understand a few things," Shinichi said.

The corner of Toichi's lips twitched into a sardonic half smile. "I don't think understanding is high on their list of priorities."

Kaito frowned. "So do you know where their main hideout is?"

"Yes, I do."

.

…Toichi's reactions had been far from reassuring. Of course they could already tell that the magician's views on matters clashed dramatically with some of the rebels' closely held beliefs, but it was hardly encouraging when they had been charged with trying to bring these different sides together.

The house that stood before them looked fairly ordinary if rather rundown. It kind of reminded Shinichi of the Kudou manor when no one had been living in it for awhile. That was probably the impression its current occupants wanted to give all considered.

"Shall we?" Kaito asked, sweeping his detective a short bow and holding out his hand, always the picture of a perfect gentleman. At least until he added, "I can get us in through a back window. They won't know what hit them."

"We're only here to talk," Shinichi reminded him, painfully worried that the magician's attitude would provoke the rebels unnecessarily.

"I know, I know. Now come on, it's getting late and I don't want to be here all night."

As far as Kaito was concerned, sneaking the both of them into the rebel hideout turned out to be laughably easy. There were traps of course and two sentries posted, but that was nothing compared to what he normally dealt with on his heists, not to mention all the infiltration work he had done when he and Shinichi had partnered up to finally bring down the Black Organization back home—back when Shinichi had still been Conan. In retrospect, this felt a lot like life had felt back then: dangerous, fragile, and complicated.

Helping Shinichi through the upper-floor window he had chosen, Kaito made a mental note to make sure he ate more. His detective was alarmingly light in his arms, and that was already taking into account the fact that the poison that had turned him into Conan to begin with had left the detective's body rather frail. It didn't help that Shinichi had a tendency to overwork himself.

They found Hattori in the second living room on the ground floor, located at the back of the house so that any light wouldn't be visible to anyone passing on the street out front. And he wasn't alone. Seated in a second wooden chair across the worktable from him was an all too familiar blond-haired young man.

So Hakuba was in this rebel group too, huh? Kaito supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that all these law enforcement people had flocked together under this particular flag. But he wasn't sure what that spelled for their chances at a peaceful, reasonable resolution to their problems. As far as he was concerned, good, sound reason wasn't one of Hakuba Saguru's admirable qualities. Actually, Kaito wasn't sure he believed the blonde had any admirable qualities—he was just such a damned nuisance back in their own world, but that wasn't really the point here.

From the shadows where they stood, Kaito couldn't be sure what the papers were that the two detectives were poring over, but that would soon be fixed. Glancing down at Shinichi, he quirked an eyebrow. And together, they moved out into the light to greet their unknowing hosts.

Hakuba spotted them first and his face instantly drained of all color. His hand flew to his belt only to discover that he no longer had his gun.

"That's no way to greet your guests," Kaito scolded, twirling said gun expertly around one finger. "Especially when we're only here to talk."

"Who are you?" the blonde demanded.

"It's you," Hattori said slowly, recognizing Kaito. Turning to the second newcomer, he added, "So then you must be Kudou?"

It still felt strange to use the name again after what had happened.

Shinichi pulled the wig off and scrubbed the makeup from his face on the sleeve of his new jacket.

"Aww, Shin-chan," Kaito complained in mock dismay, "you're wiping off my hard work!"

"What do you mean hard work? It took you like thirty seconds."

"Yes, well, I guess it just means I'll have to do it again before we leave. You're lucky I bring my equipment everywhere." Kaito paused, watching in amusement as Hakuba dropped back into his chair, eyes wide in utter shock as he stared at Shinichi.

"You, but you're—how is this possible?"

"You remember when I said the Pandora spills made some interesting stuff happen?" Hattori asked, not taking his eyes from the newcomers. "This was what I was talking about."

The blond detective opened his mouth, shut it again, and shook his head. He was so going to have a headache after this.

"So what did you come here to talk about?"

"This," Kaito said, holding up the pale brown envelope Kazuha had given them so the two rebels could see it.

Hattori recognized it at once. He'd been wondering about it ever since he'd seen Kazuha hand it over to the newcomers. "So what did he write?" At Hakuba's deepening frown, he added, "It's from Kudou, the one from our world. Apparently, he knew these two were going to show up and left a message for them with Kazuha."

The blonde's mouth formed a silent "oh" and he returned his attention to their visitors.

"To put it simply," Kaito drawled, "he asked us to help you—in a way."

"No offense and all, but what help would you guys be? You're not even from this world."

Shinichi coughed. "I assume that's partly the point. Sometimes, a new perspective can be very important. We're trying to understand all this ourselves. That's why we want to talk."

Hakuba frowned. "But why should we trust you? You might look like Kudou, but we don't really know you."

"We don't have to help you, you know," Kaito said dryly, but stopped when Shinichi elbowed him in the side.

"What he means is that we could say the same about you," Shinichi said quickly. "But we're willing to give you guys a chance, so the least you could do is do the same for us. I'm fairly good friends with both of you where we're from so I really would prefer that you don't get yourselves killed if it can be helped."

Neither of the other detectives had anything to say to this. The sentiment weighed heavily in the tense air for several moments before Hattori sighed and rubbed at his eyes. He looked tired, certainly a lot more tired than he had the last time they had met.

"Sorry, Kudou, you've caught us at a rather bad time. One of our best scientists has gone missing and we're pretty sure she was taken by the Guards. We have to get her back. She's too important, but we're sure they suspect that too so it's not going to be easy."

"How so?" Shinichi asked immediately, joining them at the table. Kaito followed him more reluctantly and remained standing.

Hattori shrugged, dropping gracelessly back into his seat. "She was working on a chemical that'll… counter Pandora."

Shinichi's brow furrowed. "Like cure or neutralize it somehow?"

The expression on both of the rebels' faces was guarded. "Not… exactly. But it'll only affect people who have used Pandora recently—within the last month at the most."

Behind his Poker Face, Kaito frowned, not liking the tone in Hattori's voice. From what he'd seen of this place, these rebels seemed a little too eager for a solution, perhaps even desperate. Magic—though he didn't like calling it that, there wasn't really a better name—couldn't be an easy thing to fight, and he wondered what these people might resort to in order to finally be free of the shadows. Honor and morality didn't always mean much to desperate men.

"In any case," Hakuba said stiffly, "she's one of the only people we've got who understands Pandora and how it works. She's far too valuable to either side so there are bound to be magicians guarding her along with the usual soldiers."

"I've been wondering," Kaito said suddenly, "why not try to enlist some help from these soldiers? Maybe get some of those magicians on your side? This isn't exactly a bright and happy world, is it? There's bound to be some discontent, even among the Guard. Wouldn't that make your lives a hell of a lot easier?"

Shinichi glanced sidelong at his partner. The thief was studying their companions closely for their reactions to this suggestion, and it was instantly obvious that he'd somehow struck a nerve.

"Some of them might be willing to switch sides," Hakuba agreed darkly, "but they can't be trusted. It's not just about what they want. Pandora does something to you when you've used it for awhile."

Hattori considered them for a moment before standing and motioning for them to follow him. "Guess we might as well show you if you're going to be staying in this world for awhile. You need to know what you're getting into."

A foreboding feeling curled in Shinichi's stomach as he rose to his feet. He had a feeling they weren't going to like what the other was about to show them.

He led them through the halls of the old house to a flight of steps leading down, hidden by a cleverly reconstructed section of wood paneling. These steps went down a good ways before leveling out into another, slightly more narrow hallway lined with rooms. Most of the doors were closed, though through the open ones, it looked like it was a combination of sleeping quarters and office space, and maybe even a few makeshift labs.

The dark-skinned young man stopped before a room near the end of the corridor and knocked softly before pulling a key from his pocket to unlock it. The action made Shinichi raise his eyebrows. Whoever or whatever was inside, it clearly wasn't something that could be easily dismissed. Then the door was swinging open and he felt more than saw Kaito stiffen.

"It" turned out to be a young woman with long, sweeping hair that shone a deep, deep crimson in the dim lighting. She was seated at a dressing table beside a neatly made bed, fiddling with what appeared to be a strange set of cards—Tarot cards, perhaps? What really made Shinichi freeze in his tracks however, was the gleam of red in the eyes that she turned towards them.

"Visitors, I see," she laughed, the sound strangely _off_ though the detective couldn't quite put his finger on it. She cocked her head to the side and smiled at them, a sly, creeping smile that made his skin crawl unpleasantly.

Hakuba stepped forward, retrieving the untouched tray of food from the floor beside the door and carefully placing it on the corner of the table. "You should eat something, Koizumi-san."

"They put it in the food, you know," she whispered, loud enough for them to hear as she tapped one long, graceful, too-thin finger on the corner of the tray. "You can't ever get away."

"I assure you that the food is perfectly fine," the blonde said, but his words fell on deaf ears as her attention swung back to the people at the door.

"Four little birdies trying to find their way," she half sang, half taunted. "Or is it three little birdies and one snake?"

Her crimson eyes lingered on Kaito and she giggled, the sound escalating into a full on laugh that sounded at once musical and hysterical.

Glancing back at them, Hattori motioned for them to move away before exchanging a few quiet words with Hakuba and moving to join them. The blonde stayed behind to try and get the woman to eat something and Hattori eased the door shut, leaving the corridor in muffled silence once more.

"She," he jerked a finger back at the closed door, "used to be one of the empire's best Pandora users aside from the Four, but that doesn't save you. It doesn't matter how skilled someone thinks they are with the poison. She joined us with Kazuha, but she'd already been using Pandora for too long. She hardly ever makes any sense anymore. Her mind's as good as lost. That's what that kind of power gets you in the end. It doesn't matter how good your intentions or how much control you think you have."

"So what are your plans then?" Shinichi asked quietly. The strange woman in her prison of a room had left him feeling greatly unsettled. He wondered if Kaito knew her. The magician's reaction to seeing her had been rather strange as well.

Hattori shrugged. "We're still working on that. The good thing is that we're pretty sure we know where she's being held. A small rescue party would probably be better, but security is pretty tight. It's too bad we can't get a hold of KID. Then we could just make a trade with the Four for our scientist. Kill two birds with one stone before he can cause some real damage."

The next thing Hattori knew, Kaito had seized him by the collar of his jacket and pinned him against the corridor wall. Indigo eyes glared into his own green ones, suddenly hard and cold as ice. "Don't you _dar_e even _think_ that."

Green eyes widened in surprise for a moment before narrowing in disgust. "So you're a KID supporter too, are you?"

Kaito's face went completely blank, and he forcibly reminded himself that he shouldn't make this too personal. "Whether or not I support him, from what we've seen, he's one of the only people doing any real good around here. You're fighting the same fight. It would be like treachery. Have you really let them make you so desperate that you'd stoop so low as to sacrifice another person's life for just one small victory?"

"You saw what's happened to her," Hattori said, his voice quiet but venomous as he jerked his head back towards the now closed door to the witch's room: her cell. "And that's what will happen to that damned thief too. No one can completely control Pandora and anyone who believes otherwise is a fool."

Shinichi placed a placating hand on Kaito's arm, and the magician reluctantly let the young man go. Stepping away from him, he moved a few steps down the corridor to put some distance between them and stuffed his hands into his pockets, scowling.

"Let's go back to the living room," Shinichi said, "and take a look at your rescue plans. We've both had some experience with such things. Maybe we can give you some ideas."

That wouldn't involve too many people getting hurt.

.

It was another one to two hours before the two left the rebel base. Kaito reapplied Shinichi's disguise and they made their way back towards the bookshop, taking a different route from the one they had taken to get there.

"He shouldn't have said what he said," Shinichi spoke up quietly when they were a good distance away.

Kaito didn't respond right away but his indigo eyes were still cold with anger. Instead, he materialized a piece of paper with a snap of his fingers and handed it to Shinichi.

"Where did you—?"

"Swiped it from the lab they had down the hall from Akako's room when I went to use the restroom."

"Akako?"

"Koizumi Akako. Ironically, she's a witch in our world too. She was a high school classmate of mine."

"So you knew her well?"

"We've had a... rocky acquaintanceship. Guess you could say that I was the only boy in my school who wasn't in love with her. She tried to kill me a couple times, and saved my life a couple times. Never really did get along though."

Shinichi frowned at that and opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Kaito silenced him with a shake of his head. "Not now. I don't feel like thinking about Akako right now. All that's in the past anyway."

The detective hesitated, but let the matter drop. Kaito was right. All that was in the past now, and it wasn't like they didn't both have rather colorful histories.

Glancing over the file, Shinichi felt his stomach drop. He almost stopped walking, but Kaito put a hand on the small of his back and kept him moving forward. This... This was what their scientists had been working on. "Have you seen this already?"

Kaito nodded curtly. "They're planning to kill them all, anyone who's been in contact with Pandora within a recent time frame—wipe out all the magic users."

Shinichi shut his eyes and took a deep breath, struggling to push back the bile that rose in his throat at the realization. No wonder his counterpart had been worried. He couldn't imagine that any version of him would condone such a plan. There was just no way they could let that happen. It just wasn't the right thing to do. No reason could justify that kind of slaughter.

"Much as I hate to admit it, the bastards do have one point though," Kaito said grimly. "I think it's Pandora that's mucked up everything in this world. It's what gave the Four Emperors the power that got them where they are. It might even have really driven them all mad. If we could get rid of all of it, make sure no one could get access to any more of it, people should be able to rebuild their lives and get this world back on track. Empires rise and then they fall. That's always been the way of things."

Shinichi nodded. "So then I guess the question is, how do we destroy Pandora? It's not just a single gemstone in this world so it won't be as easy as just finding and getting rid of one thing."

"I know, and that's where I think the Counter Guard has got it all wrong. If they think they can just discount magic altogether and lump it all in with the enemy, they've got another thing coming." The magician smiled darkly, tilting the brim of the hat he was wearing to obscure the fierce expression in shadow. "Looks like we're going to have to understand Pandora better before we can do anything else."

Tucking the research file under his jacket as they turned onto the street where Takagi's bookstore was located, Shinichi sighed. "That's not going to be easy, but I think I might know where we can start. Good thing our hosts own a bookstore. We've got a lot of reading to do."

And a novelist in hiding to find.

* * *

**TBC... **

* * *

**AN**: On a side note, Alaena F.D. and I planned another music video, and Alaena put it together and up online earlier this week. It can be found on our KaitoxShinichi fan site Phantom Destinies. The link to the website can be found on my profile.

Have a great week.

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